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The Whangateau HarbourCare Group is calling for a set net ban in the Whangateau Harbour and adjoining streams to protect the remaining marine life in the estuary.
However, the group says it is also a safety issue.
It is asking the Rodney Local Board, Auckland Council and iwi to support the ban against the indiscriminate and often dangerous practise of setting nets across waterways.
The group says a recent incident where a net was set from bank-to-bank across the Omaha River caused community outrage.
“Some of the buoys on the net were submerged and there was no identification on any part of the equipment,” HarbourCare spokesperson Elizabeth Foster says. “This is certainly not a rare incident but the community’s reaction prompted the consideration, which led to our decision.
The HarbourCare Group says the estuary is increasingly popular as a safe swimming place and encourages passive activities such as paddleboarding and kayaking, often involving children. Submerged nets could cause a safety hazard.
“At present, monitoring of illegal netting is left to the local community as the harbourmaster is seldom available. This is putting community members at risk of confrontation.”
The estuary is a shallow, saline wetland and a breeding place for many fish species.
The group says that for many years it has been over-fished and the recent population growth in the wider area and the easy accessibility of the estuary have resulted in unacceptable and unsustainable pressures on the fish population.
“This is compounded by the continual taking of undersized snapper by visitors from outside the area, which appears impossible to police.
“Set netting is indiscriminate and wasteful and totally unnecessary in an area where other forms of fishing are permitted. Set nets leave no opportunity for rescuing undersized fish or undesirable species, and fish in the nets are often irretrievably damaged by sea lice and other predators.
“These nets also present a risk to dolphins and orca, which visit the estuary and river from time-to-time.”
The HarbourCare Group says a ban on set nets with adequate signage would make enforcement of the rules much easier and would discourage visitors leaving nets between tides.
